Who is Modern Aviation

Modern Aviation is a growing FBO network platform founded in 2017 that has been funded by Tiger Infrastructure Partners. Modern Aviation is actively engaged in pursuing FBO acquisitions and development opportunities throughout North America and the Caribbean with the goal of developing a national FBO chain.

Tiger Infrastructure Partners is a New York-based, infrastructure private equity firm that invests in growing infrastructure platforms. The firm targets investments in communications, energy, transportation, and related sectors, primarily located in North America and Europe. Further information on Tiger is available at www.tigerinfrastructure.com.

Who is Modern Aviation

Modern Aviation is a growing FBO network platform founded in 2017 that has been funded by Tiger Infrastructure Partners. Modern Aviation is actively engaged in pursuing FBO acquisitions and development opportunities throughout North America and the Caribbean with the goal of developing a national FBO chain.
Tiger Infrastructure Partners is a New York-based, infrastructure private equity firm that invests in growing infrastructure platforms. The firm targets investments in communications, energy, transportation, and related sectors, primarily located in North America and Europe. Further information on Tiger is available at www.tigerinfrastructure.com.

Mission & Vision

Modern Aviation was formed to provide essential services to the general aviation community based on the core principles of industry-leading safety, training, premium customer service, and quality. Our dedicated and highly trained employees provide our services in up to date, current facilities utilizing modern technology and equipment.

Our goal is to efficiently handle each customer’s aircraft as if it were our own and enable every customer trip to be a successful one.

Mission & Vision

Modern Aviation was formed to provide essential services to the general aviation community based on the core principles of industry-leading safety, training, premium customer service, and quality. Our dedicated and highly trained employees provide our services in up to date, current facilities utilizing modern technology and equipment.

Our goal is to efficiently handle each customer’s aircraft as if it were our own and enable every customer trip to be a successful one.

The Team

Modern Aviation is led by a team of experienced aviation services operating executives.

Mark J. Carmen – President & CEO

Mark J. Carmen is the President and CEO of Modern Aviation, a company he recently formed with Tiger Infrastructure Partners LP to execute a consolidation strategy in the North American FBO sector.

Mark’s operating experience is from his role as President of Universal Weather & Aviation, Inc., a global company with 1,750+ employees providing business jet owners and operators international trip support services, ground handling via Universal Aviation, fuel via UVAir, and software solutions. He was also a Board Member at Universal Weather & Aviation and Air Culinaire Worldwide.

Mr. Carmen is a senior-level strategic and operational leader with broad experience as President of a global business aviation services company, Managing Director for private equity and investment banking firms, and as an entrepreneur. He has a consistent record of driving growth by refocusing strategy, leading acquisitions and building high performing teams; raising equity and debt in private and public markets; and drawing on his diverse industry background in the aerospace, defense and government IT services markets.

Mr. Carmen recently served as Managing Partner of CM Equity Partners, LP, where he focused on the aerospace, defense, and federal services industries. Mr. Carmen is a Senior Advisor to CM Equity and Chairman of the Board of Graco Supply & Integrated Services and a member of the Board of Directors or Preferred Systems Solutions, Inc., both CM Equity portfolio companies.

Mr. Carmen previously was Managing Director, Private Equity at Macquarie Capital Funds, Inc., the private equity arm of the Macquarie Group (ASX:MQG), where he led the private equity investment in Sentient Flight Group, a leader in private jet membership card programs, on-demand charters and fuel management. In this role, he sourced and executed the Sentient complex carve-out acquisition, executed add-on acquisitions and worked on several Macquarie portfolio assets.

Prior to Macquarie, Mr. Carmen had a 13-year career with Jefferies & Company, Inc. in New York City, a global investment bank and subsidiary of Leucadia National Corporation (NYSE: LUK), where he held positions as Managing Director Investment Banking, Jefferies Quarterdeck; Co-head of Aerospace, Defense & IT Services Group. In these roles he led numerous investment banking transactions across aerospace, defense, homeland security and IT services sectors; sourced and executed IPOs, follow-on equity offerings, high yield debt offerings, private placements, mergers and acquisitions and other financial advisory services; and structured and closed numerous complex and precedent setting transactions.

Mark received his MBA at Columbia University Graduate School of Business and his B.A. from Brandeis University.

Emmanuel Yapo – EVP Strategy and Corporate Development

Emmanuel Yapo is a co-founder and the EVP of Strategy and Corporate Development at Modern Aviation.

Mr. Yapo was Director of Corporate Development at Atlantic Aviation, a portfolio company of Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation (NYSE: MIC), where he assessed and structured $129 million in FBO growth projects within the FBO portfolio. Prior to Atlantic Aviation, Mr. Yapo spent approximately 10 years at Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets, where he was responsible for Fixed-Base Operations (FBO) acquisitions and development to support the build-up of Atlantic Aviation’s FBO network, the second largest FBO chain in the United States. He executed more than $1.4 billion of FBO acquisitions, $970 million leveraged recapitalizations and approximately $1.0 billion of debt restructuring in the FBO sector. Additionally, Mr. Yapo served as Senior Advisor to Aquamarine Investment Partners, where he sourced and led several infrastructure investment opportunities for Aquamarine’s North America $1.5 billion infrastructure fund.

Previously, Mr. Yapo worked in financial planning and analysis at General Electric in Europe where he was stationed in France, Germany and Italy at several GE subsidiaries. Prior to General Electric, Mr. Yapo worked as an auditor at Mazars group, a global audit, accounting and consulting firm operating in 79 countries. Prior to Mazars, he worked in corporate development at Brambles Europe, a subsidiary of Brambles Group, a supply chain logistics company operating in 60 countries.

Mr. Yapo received his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a MSc from ESCP EUROPE, and also graduated from the General Electric Financial Management Program.